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The New Writing Series, Fall 2015, University Of Maine Honors College

Cultural Affairs Distinguished Lecture Series

The New Writing Series brings innovative and adventurous contemporary writing to the University of Maine's flagship campus in Orono on selected thursdays at 4:30 pm.

The New Writing Series, Spring 2016, The University Of Maine Honors College

Cultural Affairs Distinguished Lecture Series

In its thirty-fourth consecutive semester of programming, the New Writing Series will host six readings featuring four poets (John Keene, Prageeta Sharma, Divya Victor, and John Yau) and two fiction writers (Emily Fridlund and Joanna Walsh).

These writers are all highly active across the full spectrum of literary activity. They are editors, publishers, and anthologists; translators and tale-tellers; art-makers and trail-blazing scholars.

The New Writing Series brings innovative and adventurous contemporary writing to the University of Maine's flagship campus in Orono on selected Thursdays at 4:30pm.

Learning To Retell Stories Through Comparative Teaching: Writing And Drawing, Rachel L. Lindle

Theses and Dissertations--Art and Visual Studies

Students who are emergent readers and writers are often difficult to assess, as they are unable to communicate understanding in writing. From my observations, these students communicate ideas best through concrete forms of expression, rather than the abstract formation of letters and writing that is unfamiliar to them. Drawing provides an alternate form of expression from writing. Based on information found in literature review and personal experiences from working with students who are emergent readers and writers, pictures and drawings are a bridge to communicate ideas with these students. This form of expression and communication may be a useful assessment …

Writing Awareness, Gwen Gorzelsky

The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning

The author argues that, by practicing embodied, metaphoric ethnography, educators can revise their roles in classroom social systems and so pursue the goals of critical pedagogy.

Professional Writing In The English Classroom: Let's Get Real: Using Usability To Connect Writers, Readers, And Texts, Jonathan Bush, Leah A. Zuidema

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The article discusses the application of the concept of usability and user-centered design in the interaction between the writers and the readers in the English classroom. It is inferred that the interaction with readers is essential during the process of writing. The elements of effective lessons on usability and user-centered design are highlighted.

Grammar Workshop: Systematic Language Study In Reading And Writing Contexts, Leah A. Zuidema

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Responding to claims that grammar instruction has become too limited, Zuidema describes field notebooks, mentor text, show-and-tell essays, and other strategies for engaging students in systematic language analysis.

Get Off To An Auspicious Start, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

No abstract provided.

Of Blockheads And Elitists, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

No abstract provided.

Location, Location, Location, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

No abstract provided.

The Writer's Digest Character Naming Sourcebook, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe, Sheerilyn Kenyon

Hal Blythe

Call your characters by their right names. This book will help you. Now you won't have to use baby name books or your teelphone directory for ideas for character names. More than 20,000 character names are included right here, along with valuable instruction for selecting names, and how those names will affect your story.

Writing At Transitions: Using In-Class Writing As A Learning Tool, Nate Mickelson

Publications and Research

Drawing on the fundamentals of Writing to Learn pedagogy, this article describes how teachers across the disciplines can use in-class writing as a learning tool. Because in-class writing activities foreground the power of writing as a means for processing and integrating information, using writing prompts during times of transition common to every class—at the beginning or end of class, when moving from topic to topic or activity to activity, or at the conclusion of a particularly rich discussion—can serve to focus and extend student engagement. Offering practical advice and examples from his own teaching experiences, the author shows how structuring …

Writing Across Institutions: Studying The Curricular And Extracurricular Journeys Of Latina/O Students Transitioning From High School To College, Todd Ruecker

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is based on a year and a half multi-institutional study of seven Mexican American students transitioning from high school to a community college or a university. It explores the differences between high school, community college, and university literacy environments, focusing on the following: the impact of standardized testing at the high school level, the role of rhetoric and composition disciplinary expertise in shaping first-year composition (FYC) curricula, writing in the disciplines, and the digital divide between institutions. Seven case studies examine students' literacy experiences across institutions as well as both challenges and sources of support in and beyond …

Private Eyes: A Writer's Guide To Private Investigating, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe, John Landreth

Hal Blythe

Is your protagonist a private eye? Is he or she believable? Do you know how private investigators really work? What tricks do they use to get the job done? And how do they live their lives? Now you can find out from the experts. A real private eye and two published mystery writers joined forces to write Private Eyes: A Writer's Guide to Private Investigators.

The Ties That Bind, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

Discusses the bond between the readers and characters of a story. Information on how to create a character for a story; Background on some characters of a story, including Lady Macbeth in the book 'Heart of Darkness,' by Joseph Conrad; Details of some specific character traits that create a bond with readers.

Making Connections, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

Last summer as instructors at a creative-writing conference, we had an experience that made us better writers. While critiquing a promising piece of fiction, we became frustrated because we couldn't put our finger on why the story didn't quite work. The tale, which centered around a young soldier's baptismal firefight in Vietnam, at first seemed solid. The main character was believable, the setting was described in gritty realism, and the plot had a beginning, middle, and end. But although the story was technically correct, it didn't really capture our interest. We found we couldn't get involved with the writer's grunt …

How To Find And Fix 'Plotholes': Watch For Common Problems That Can Sidetrack Your Novel, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

This article offers advice for writer on preventing major plotholes in fiction. Selection of information to be revealed earlier in story; Establishment of credibility of facts; Link of plot events with the motivation of the main character.

More Than A Place, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Hal Blythe

Many stories fail to capture the reader's interest even though they have a clear point of view, well-rounded characters and an interesting plot. What's missing? One key element that writers frequently overlook is setting. They treat it merely as backdrop.

Professional Writing In The English Classroom: Beyond Language: The Grammar Of Document Design, Jonathan Bush, Leah A. Zuidema

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The article offers guidelines in teaching professional writing in an English classroom. It highlights the elements in deciding for a good document design which include layout, fonts and color. It outlines the CRAP acronym (Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, Proximity) formulated by Saul Greenberg which summarizes the essential techniques in grammar design.

Professional Writing In The English Classroom: Professional Writing: What You Already Know, Jonathan Bush, Leah A. Zuidema

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

The article offers the authors' insights on professional writing that are taught in the English classroom, in which it is defined as writing within professional context with genres such as formal reports, directives, and proposals. They state that many teachers learn professional writing not only from advice, but also from experience and practice. They also mention that professional writing can be integrated in all fields of English language arts classrooms that can be taught to students.

Twenty-First-Century Writing/Twentieth Century Teachers?, Ian Barnard

English Faculty Articles and Research

"My students are writing in their everyday lives—indeed, their everyday lives are written—but we (teachers—writing teachers, in particular--and education administrators, no doubt nudged by politicians and “the public”) have to a large extent failed miserably in embracing and capitalizing on that writing: email, text messaging, instant messaging, blogging, twittering, responding, video gaming, Second Lifeing. Andrea and Karen Lunsford’s recent longitudinal study of Stanford students has shown the lie to the given that students today don’t write as much as they used to (they are writing much more). Are we becoming the stodgy, ungenerous, rigid English teachers that we ourselves were …

Tears, Fears, And The Dreaded Five-Paragraph Essay: Encouraging Your Students To Write In English, Susan Adams

Susan Adams

Presentation at the TESOL Regional Conference, May 2008.

Fostering Writing Development Of Secondary English Language Learners: Overcoming Fears, Tears, And The Dreaded 5-Paragraph Essay, Susan Adams

Susan Adams

Presentation at the Indiana Teachers of Writing Annual Conference, October 2007.

Location, Location, Location, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Charlie Sweet

No abstract provided.

Get Off To An Auspicious Start, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Charlie Sweet

No abstract provided.

Bias And The Teachable Moment: Revisiting A Teacher Narrative, Darren Crovitz

Faculty and Research Publications

Such responsibility may be vital for English teachers, especially, as we strive to establish communities of writers and spaces for critical thinking and conversation. When I sat down to write about this experience, I saw it as an opportunity to discuss a taboo situation and its positive aftermath, with the aim of demonstrating how it might be possible to use such events as points of departure in creating engaging writing assignments.

10 Ways To Begin: Sure-Fire Techniques To Help You Engage Your Reader From The Start, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Charlie Sweet

This article offers tips for authors on improving the first part of a story to entice readers. Technique that can be used to make a reader care about a character. Creation of a conflict and use of dialogue.

How To Find And Fix 'Plotholes': Watch For Common Problems That Can Sidetrack Your Novel, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Charlie Sweet

This article offers advice for writer on preventing major plotholes in fiction. Selection of information to be revealed earlier in story; Establishment of credibility of facts; Link of plot events with the motivation of the main character.

More Than A Place, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Charlie Sweet

Many stories fail to capture the reader's interest even though they have a clear point of view, well-rounded characters and an interesting plot. What's missing? One key element that writers frequently overlook is setting. They treat it merely as backdrop.

The Ties That Bind, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Charlie Sweet

Discusses the bond between the readers and characters of a story. Information on how to create a character for a story; Background on some characters of a story, including Lady Macbeth in the book 'Heart of Darkness,' by Joseph Conrad; Details of some specific character traits that create a bond with readers.

Of Blockheads And Elitists, Charlie Sweet, Hal Blythe

Charlie Sweet

No abstract provided.